Chef Matt Dawson must like to whistle while he works.

We first encountered Dawson about two years ago at a place called Peppertini's in Chesterfield, an unlikely pairing, at least for that neck of the woods, of a mid- to high-end restaurant and a piano bar.

It was clear the guy had talent, serving up interesting preparations with good ingredients.

Peppertini's didn't make it to its second birthday, and word spread that Dawson would be moving west to St. Charles.

He landed at a place called Quintessential, a multifaceted rehab of one of the inimitable spaces along Main Street. And as with Peppertini's, live music is an integral part of the new place. (Indeed, if you visit its website, it may appear that Quintessential's food is almost an afterthought.)

Of course, Dawson is doing everything he can to correct that perception. His menu is interesting without going over the top, sneaking in things like a duo of pork belly and grilled pork loin, but balancing this with expected appetizers such as potato skins, chicken wings and spinach-and-artichoke dip.

And then there are dishes that fall somewhere in between, such as this appetizer: smoked pork steak slider trio ($8.99). It's a clever way to get the idiosyncratic St. Louis cut onto the menu, and the cooked-to-proper-tenderness medallions of pork steak were all gussied up with a barbecue glaze, cabbage and apple slaw, a Cajun topping with chipotle aioli and peppered bacon, and a dry rub with cheddar and onions.

An Asian shrimp cocktail ($11.99) featured five enormous shrimp, but the "infusion" of garlic and ginger was way too subtle.

An 8-ounce filet ($23.99) was smothered in chopped mushrooms similar to the duxelles you'd find inside a beef Wellington. The steak itself was quite good, and the mushroom flavor complemented it well, but it wasn't the most aesthetically pleasing treatment. A fennel frond attempted to remedy this, but it had wilted by the time the plate made it to the table.

Actually, our entrees were served too soon, arriving before we'd finished even half of our appetizers. This and other gaffes reflected a young, inexperienced staff who occasionally got help at our table from a bartender or manager, but who made enough missteps to affect the flow of the meal.

The pork duo ($17.99) showed that Dawson still has a thing for pig, with strips of smoked pork belly tucked under a perfectly moist loin chop and sweet accompaniments — a sweet potato purée and an orange juice reduction, which sounded unusual but worked well with the other flavors.

A duck breast entree ($16.99) succeeded from both a flavor and presentation perspective, with slices of the breast distributed among pieces of artichoke heart and mushroom plus sun-dried tomatoes, the whole thing arranged atop a sheaf of slightly charred grilled asparagus.

And Dawson's take on fish and chips ($14.99) used a single long fillet of snapper in a light tempura batter. The frying caused the fish to take on a slight arc, the piece then placed atop an apple and cabbage slaw, and the traditional malt vinegar accompaniment served via an aioli.

We tried only one dessert, a chocolate bread pudding ($6.99) that was a little too cute, with five cubes of sourdough soaked in chocolate and arranged on the plate among butterscotch minichips and hot fudge.

Although there was steady bar traffic throughout both of our dinners, the downstairs room doesn't transition to a music club until 9 p.m., and the sound system during mealtimes is not intrusive. There's a terrific indoor and outdoor space upstairs, and curtains across one side of the dining room conceal a "VIP" room.

All this adds up to an ambitious venture. My main worry is that the restaurant aspect will eventually play second fiddle to the club aspect and, in the process, Dawson's menu will emphasize more of the expected stuff and less of the innovative.

For now, however, diners at Quintessential can have it both ways.